What's Forever For
by still too old for this
Summary: 30 years later, a reporter tracks down Cyborg to find out what happened to the Titans on that final day.
1. Chapter 1

Sorry, I still don't own anything relating to the Teen Titans. Nor do I own the rights to the song, What's Forever For.

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**I've been looking at people,**

**And how they change with the times.**

**And lately all I've been seeing are people**

**Throwing love away and losing their minds.**

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-?

"Yes."

-?

"Yes, I'm Dr. Victor Stone."

-?

The tall black man in the white lab coat leaned back in his chair. His eye had left the microscope that he had been peering into only moments ago. It was obvious that while he had been only half-heartedly paying attention to the questioner, now his attention had been fully captured.

"Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Yes, I am, or was, Cyborg." He turned around to face his visitor. Completely bald, the man looked to be in his late 40s. He had the appearance of a football player who was slowly entering middle age and not keeping up his physic, a little pudgy. One eye stared brightly at his questioner, the other, just a little…off. As if it wasn't really focused.

-?

"Yes, I suppose I do look different from when I was young. Most of us do." He certainly wasn't going to help this rather persistent nuisance.

-?

"Amazing what modern technology and plastics can achieve. Look comparatively normal, don't I?"

-?

"Oh, I still have some of my old cybernetic abilities. But for the most part, I've traded them all in. Now that we've discussed my appearance, what is it that I can do for you?"

-?

"Why? That part of my life is past. Long past." A look of sad nostalgia flew across the man's face, a remembrance of times past.

-?

"Has it been thirty years?" He thought for a moment. "Yeah, guess so. Hell, where does the time go?"

-?

"Dead? No, of course I'm not dead."

-?

"No, none of the others are dead. At least I don't think so."

-?

"Why?"

-?

"Oh, the Tower." He mused, "Yeah, I guess you could come to that conclusion. But it's wrong. When the Tower exploded we were all very much alive. And were for some time afterwards."

-?

"Villain? Attack? We weren't attacked." He gave a sound of disgust. "The Titans were never beaten. Oh, we suffered some setbacks. Had some reverses from time to time. But we never lost. Not to Slade, the Brotherhood, the Hive 5, Brother Blood, not even Trigon. No, no villain beat us."

-?

"And you BELIEVED him? Dr. Light? Sheesh, if there was one dope who could never beat us, it was him."

-?

The tall man remained silent.

-?

"Look, I'm not sure I really want to talk about it."

-?

"Don't try that on me, I worked with the best." He paused. "I don't see why I have to prove anything, or explain anything. I'm alive, I'm retired from superheroing. Science was always my first love, after my wife of course. End of story."

-?

The man let out a sigh. "Look, we may have been heroes, but we were kids. I'm not sure anyone really understood that. I know we didn't." A troubled look came over his face.

-?

"Inspirations? Yeah, I guess we were. But you don't realize the work, the training that went into it. Most of us had spent years learning how to use our abilities. None of us had a normal childhood, most of us didn't even have parents, only trainers and teachers." He paused. "Maybe if we HAD had something approaching a normal childhood, with normal parents, that whole final disaster could have been avoided." He considered for a moment. "I probably had the closest thing to a normal childhood of us all. My folks were alive through my teen years, so, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I DID learn something about how people behave. Or should behave. That's why I came out of the whole thing in the best shape."

-?

"Perhaps I should say, the most emotionally stable. You've seen 'normal' kids in high school, the drama, the angst, the messed up relationships. And these are normal kids. Just imagine superpowered teens with little to no 'normal' parental guidance during their formative years." He began to swivel his chair back around.

-?

He let out a sigh and turned back to his questioner. "You're really not going to leave this alone, are you?"

-?

"No, I guess not, not in your shoes."

-?

"Happened? What do you think happened? With five hormonal teenagers living together."

-?

"No, nothing like that! Come on, we were all of us highly moral, responsible kids. We were spending our time helping people. Putting our lives on the line day after day. Suffering injuries and hurts while doing our best to make the world a safer place. Give us SOME credit at least."

-?

"Apology accepted. What happened was the most normal thing in the world that could happen, even to superpowered kids. Some of us fell in love."

-?

"No, you don't really expect it do you? Even with the gossip magazines harping about it. Still, stick five kids of mixed genders together for an extended period of time together, they start to pair up."

-?

"You count quite well. Yes, someone was left out, two guesses who."

-?

"Don't be insulting. One of us was green, one orange, one grey, one black and one white. One was from another planet, one another dimension and one could become any conceivable animal that ever lived, and animals have absolutely no recognition of human mores. No, it had nothing to do with racism. It had to do with numbers. Two does not go into five no matter how hard you push it."

-?

"Of course I resented it at times! Be sensible. If you saw all your friends in relationships and you were left out, wouldn't you resent it? Still, these were my best friends, my comrades in battle. I didn't resent THEM, I was resentful that we didn't have a sixth member." He paused, "Well, for a while we did, but it didn't last. Even so, some benefit came out of me being a fifth wheel."

-?

"I saw what was happening to the team from the 'outside'. How the emotional pressures were mounting between everyone. I just wished I knew what to do about it. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure that there was anything I COULD have done. You can't change people. And kids learn what they're taught, especially in matters of the heart."

-?

"Ah, now there's the problem. None of them were ever taught anything about love and relationships. As I said, we learn by observing, usually our home life. The others never really had a home life. So all they had was their regular day to day experiences and their innate natures."

-?

"If you knew them personally, knew their histories, you'd know that's a loaded question."

-?

"Well, I suppose it really started when the Titans were formed, that first day when Starfire arrived on Earth. She kissed Robin."

-?

"It had nothing to do with that. Tameraneans learn languages through kissing. It's how she learned enough English to warn us to leave her alone. I just found it….interesting that she kissed Robin. Well, that's beside the point. After the brush up with the Gordanians, we formed the titans and Starfire began almost immediately to show interest in Robin."

-?

"Oh yes, he was interested in her as well. But he's the ULTIMATE Type-A personality. Work, work, work. Anything that detracted from work was to be put aside."

-?

"It was our trip to Tokyo that FINALLY got those two together. I think it was then they had their second kiss. And this was years later."

-?

"No, as far as romance goes, Robin was NOT a 'fast worker'. He really was a very dedicated, responsible man. My God, the training he undertook, what he did to HIMSELF, what he insisted we all do. Well, at the time I resented it, we all did. Now, I understand. It wasn't to be tyrannical, it was to protect us. I've never seen a person more dedicated to helping others than Robin was, is. Unfortunately, he learned his methods from the Batman. Not the most….sociable of people. Still, eventually, Starfire was able to work her way through his barriers and he fell in love.

-?

The tall man laughed. "No." He continued chuckling. ""No, his sense of duty was far too strict. He DID love Starfire. As much as any 16 year old can." He paused and grew somber. "No, looking back at it from this time, when they came back from Toyko, Rob and Star were as close and committed as you could expect any teenagers to be. No, the problem was we came BACK from Toyko."

-?

"Come on, you've never had a vacation romance?"

-?"

"Humpf. Well, in THIS case, the two lovebirds were inseparable for the first week." He let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, after that first week, Robin reverted to his….regular behavior patterns. Working through the night, focusing on crime, trying to monitor the entire world so ensure that everyone was safe. I've never seen such dedication. Or stupidity, depending on your point of view. And where was Star? Left alone. Trying to rekindle the affection she had received during those magical weeks."

-?

"Oh, I think she would have eventually given up. Even with her warrior's perseverance, she wouldn't carry a torch forever. No, what kept her going was something completely unexpected."

-?"

He began to laugh. "Why, Beast Boy and Raven becoming a couple."

-?

"Yes, I agree, doesn't seem to fit, does it? Yet, from the very beginning there was always an attraction. Something between them. The old saying is that opposites attract, but this was beyond conception. The emotional whirlwind and the ice queen herself. And yet, when it happened, it made a weird kind of sense. Looking back, at the time, you could see the signs. They were always together, they seemed to bond in a contorted way." A troubled look came across the tall man's face. "Still, you wondered if they were TOO opposite. If their personalities and needs were too much in conflict. And, by that final day, it became obvious."

-?

"Why, the obvious difficulties, the dramas that were infusing the Tower. Gar and Raven, Robin and Star, and me, stuck watching the oncoming disaster and not being able to stop it."

-?

"What happened? Everything!"

-?

"No, I guess it doesn't." The white robed man let out a long breath. "Well, you've managed to track me down this far, guess you deserve more than just hints and vague statements. OK, I'll explain about the Tower and the Titans. At least as far as I'm able. For that, probably it's best if I focus on that final day. The day the Tower exploded. After that….well, you'll have to answer your own questions."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, I still don't own anything relating to the Teen Titans. Nor do I own the rights to the song, What's Forever For.

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**Maybe it's me that's gone crazy,**

**But I can't understand why.**

**All these lovers keep hurting each other**

**When good love is so hard to come by.**

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-?

"Well, first I need to explain something about Gar and Raven"

-?

"Garfield Logan, Beast Boy's real name. Gar for short."

-?

He paused. "No, I don't think it really matters anymore if someone finds out his real name. Not that it ever really did. I mean, the man's green; how many green people do you know?"

-?

"Very funny. OK, excluding martians. The point is he could never really hide his identity. And he had no living relatives. His parents died in a boating accident when he was only about six."

-?

"Yeah, you wouldn't think it would you? No, he saw his parents die, had an abusive guardian, was eventually adopted by the Doom Patrol, practically a suicide squad for heroes. Not exactly a childhood where he received a great deal of loving support, something he always seemed to need. Even his first love interest turned on him." The tall man fell silent, lost in the past.

-?

"Hmmm, oh, sorry. Just remembering things." He let out a sigh. "Anyway, Gar always had a great need for attention and affection, probably as a result of the situations he had always been in. I suspect that at least part of his love for Raven was due to his desire for love from the unattainable. Someone who, to all appearance, did not seem capable of love."

-?

"Raven did not appear capable of love. She grew up being told to suppress all her emotions. So SHE was shown no love or affection either. In fact, it was deliberately kept from her."

-?

"Because her powers are emotion-based. If she let them get out of control, well, then her father's influence came out."

-?

"Her father, Trigon the Terrible, an interdimensional demon."

-?

"No, we obviously didn't advertise that Raven was half-demon. She had enough problems without having priests come by every day to conduct exorcisms."

-?

"Now there's the real question. Could she love? Being her friend was, at times, difficult. But we knew her devotion to us. Her devotion to helping others. She tried to hide it, but she loved children."

-?

"No, not baked or fried." The tall man let out a chuckle. "Actually, that was a pretty good one. If the occasion comes up, I'll have to remember it. Anyway, it always seemed as if she was testing the boundaries of her humanity, looking to see if she could love the way she read about or saw others doing. So, there we have it. She saw the love that Starfire showed Robin and, for a while, that Robin showed Starfire. Being an empath, she felt the love that Gar had for her."

-?

"I think she tried to reciprocate the love as best she could. In her own way, she really did love all of us and, especially, Beast Boy."

-?

"The problem? The problem was that neither really knew what love was all about. What it truly was to show and receive love."

-?

"Well, all she had were her books to go by and what little she saw during her time on Earth. He only had movies, TV and other media as a guide. NOT something that was really an accurate depiction of love."

-?

"From what little I knew them, the relationships in the Doom Patrol were subordinate. Everyone took orders from Mento, who was focused on the team's mission. Even Rita, Elastic-girl, his WIFE, took orders from him during battle. To the point of self-sacrifice."

-?

"Right, that means Gar only had examples of sacrifice as proof of love. That you put up with any suffering and pain to show your love. His parents died for him; no, I won't go into that, and the Patrol would sacrifice each other without any overt signs of affection. Small wonder he had no idea of what to do."

-?

"Ah, now there we get into the whole nature versus nurture thing. It becomes a battle, Raven's underlying nature, half-demon, versus her nurture, withdrawn, cold, emotionless. Not the recipe for a good relationship."

-?

"I guess the best example would be that final day. Actually, it was really that final day that I think we all realized that we were kids that had no idea what we were doing."

-?

"No, I don't mean in terms of fighting crime. I mean in terms of our relationships with one another. Like I said, we were stupid kids, like all kids are stupid."

-?

The tall man let out an exasperated breath. "NO, that's not what I meant and you know it! Kids are not, necessarily, intellectually stupid. Nor are they all emotionally stupid. I just mean that given their lack of experience, they tend to BE stupid. Stupid in that they don't have the necessary experience to know the situations they are getting themselves into. It's only something that people realize later. Sometimes much later. Sometimes never."

-?

"Right, so we finally come down to the last day."

-?

The white robed man let out another sigh. He continued to be silent for a while.

-?

"I know. I know I said I would tell you. It's difficult."

-?

"You can't."

-?

He let out a small chuckle. "That's very considerate of you, but you have been patient. AND you're the only one to track me down to find out. You deserve some reward. Therefore, I'll tell you about the last day." He paused again. "But please be patient with me. Other than my wife, no one other than the Titans knows what happened."

-?

"I suppose it started in the morning with Dr. Light. Probably where he got the idea he defeated us. As if."

-?

"Naw, we beat him in short order. After the normal battle, Raven did her usual soul-self spell. He practically wet himself and surrendered. We turned him over to the police and went home."

-?

"Well, at the time, I thought everything was normal. In fact, everyone went along their normal routines. Robin went to his workroom, as usual, to update his files. Starfire went off, somewhere, after trying to cuddle up to Robin. And Beast Boy and Raven went off to her room."

-?

"I'm pretty sure nothing like that happened. Think of it more along the lines that Raven went to her room and Beast Boy trailed after her. Generally, after a battle, Raven would need to retire to her room to meditate."

-?

"Like I said, her powers were emotion based. Therefore, after exercising them, she needed to get them back under control. Kind of like trying to get your small kids under control after they'd been running around all afternoon."

-?

"Yeah, not easy. Add to that the fact that we were in public and Raven, being an empath, was exposed to other people's emotions. Generally fear and panic given that we were in a battle situation."

-?

"I don't think we really understood the handicaps that Raven was living under. Come to think of it, I KNOW we didn't understand. That's why right after a battle, we had one of two routines, if it was particularly tough, we tended to collect together to talk and be with one another, essentially reaffirming that we were still alive. That wasn't easy for Raven. On days like the battle with Light, it was pretty easy, so we went about our normal business."

-?

"I was down in the garage, working on my car. That's how I relaxed."

-?

"I don't actually KNOW what they did. I suspect based on previous experience. It was about three, maybe four hours later that Robin came down to the garage to talk to me."

-?

"No, he generally wasn't that sociable. Maybe I should say he came down to ask me for a favor."

-?

"He needed to get into Starfire's room."

-?

"Well, from what he told me, the door had been locked and he had left one of the files he needed in there."

-?

"Yeah, real romantic, wasn't he. I swear, I've never seen anybody so dedicated to his work. That was a large part of the problem between Robin and Star."

-?

"So, anyway, apparently the door to Starfire's room was locked."

-?

"He did have the password to open the door. You see, as part of the Titan's security measures, the locks would reset every three days. Obviously, it was the fourth day. Starfire had reset the lock and hadn't told Robin the new password yet."

-?

"No, you couldn't use the same password. Nor could you just add a number to the end of the password. It had to be a completely new word. That way we avoided any security problems. And only the occupant of the room could set the password."

-?

"No, there was no administrative override. The only one who could override it was me. And only after a bit of work."

-?

"My very question to Robin. Couldn't it wait until Star gave him the new password? God, I swear that guy was THE MOST annoying person I've ever met. He insisted he needed the file RIGHT NOW before he forgot any details. As if he EVER forgot any details." The tall man let out an exasperated breath. "Well, that was Robin. Anyway, he and I went up to Starfire's door and I took off the control panel and began to access the override."

-?

"Oh, it would take about ten minutes for my cybernetic systems to integrate into the room security system and then go through the code algorithm to determine the new password. It was quicker than having someone hack into the system and try to break it. That would take hours."

-?

"We had already had plenty of problems with security. Slade, the Hive 5, Control Freak, Brother Blood. When you live in a giant T in the middle of the bay, it's not like no one can find you. So we instituted some additional measures to protect everyone's personal space. Anyway, while I was working I asked Robin where Starfire was. Do you know what he said?"

-?

"Exactly."

-?

"'How should I know?' This was his girlfriend and teammate and he had no clue. Apparently, she had wanted him to go shopping with her, you know, spend some time with her and, as usual, he brushed her off because of work. I SWEAR, that guy was way too focused."

-?

"No, he didn't seem the least bit embarrassed by his behavior. So, there we were outside of Starfire's door, me working on the security code, Robin watching, when Raven comes by."

-?

"Yeah, she had been looking for me as well."

-?

He let out a chuckle. "Yep, that's me, Mr. Popularity. I swear, if I wasn't the only one who could fix anything in the tower, the whole place would have come crashing down."

-?

"Well, she told me she had a hole in her wall that needed to be repaired."

-?

"Yes, a hole."

-?

"A Beast Boy sized hole."

-?

"Yeah, she had gotten angry at him again and threw him through the wall."

-?

"Often enough."

-?

"You really think it's funny?"

-?

"Oh, I can't really blame you. At the time, we thought it was funny too. But remember, we were stupid kids. Now, just imagine two adults doing it."

-?

"OK, now imagine a married couple, ordinary people, where the wife throws the husband into a wall."

-?

"Or better yet, where a husband throws his wife into a wall."

-?

"Right, we call that spousal abuse. Assault and battery. If it were two regular people and we saw that, we would have stopped it. But somehow, because it was Raven and Beast Boy, we didn't."

-?

"According to Raven, it was HIS fault for pestering her to go to lunch with hime; he MADE her do it."

-?

"Yep, the age-old classic excuse that every abuser gives. Wasn't THEIR fault, the other one MADE them do it."

-?

The tall man remained silent for a few moments. "Over the years, I thought a lot about it and I've come to the conclusion it was her demonic side. Even though she WANTED to show love and affection, she really didn't know how. Demons are not much for love. That's why they're demons. Since she didn't know how, she essentially defaulted to her demonic nature."

-?

"Oh, she felt guilty. After the fact. Sometimes well after the fact. Like this last day. When I asked her how long ago it happened and was Beast Boy all right. She said he had left several hours ago. When I asked why it took so long for her to find us, she said she had been so upset that she had to mediate for another few hours to get her emotions under control."

-?

"I'm not really sure that she was sorry about what she did. She was sorry she hurt him, but I'm not sure she understood that it was her actions that caused it."

-?

"What happened? Well, at about that time I got the door opened."

-?

"It had everything to do with it. When I opened the door, the three of us were standing in the doorway. Looking inside, which we instinctively did, we saw purple clothes thrown everywhere."

-?

"It was odd because Starfire was usually a very tidy person. She took good care of her things. But it wasn't just her clothes we saw. When we looked closer, we saw two people fast asleep, apparently naked in each other's arms."

-?

"That's right, Starfire and Beast Boy."

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My thanks to my two reviewers, The Force is Strong with This One (an old friend that I've sadly neglected) and HotDog285. Hopefully, this second chapter will continue to peak your interest.

Until next time my friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry, I still don't own anything relating to the Teen Titans. Nor do I own the rights to the song, What's Forever For.

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**Now I've seen love hungry people,**

**Trying their best to survive.**

**When right there in their hands is a dying romance**

**And they're not even trying to keep it alive.**

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-?

"Yes, I KNOW I said that kind of thing didn't go on at the tower."

-?

"Believe me, we were just as stunned as you are."

-?

The tall man remained silent for a few moments. He took a deep breath. "I spent the next few years trying to figure it out myself. I think I've come up with the most reasonable answer."

-?

"Look, this isn't easy. These were two of my best friends. One WAS my best friend. These were people I lived with, fought with, and would have died for. And I know they would have died for me. They attempted to prove it numerous times."

-?

"I need to give you a little background on Starfire. You now know about Gar and Raven, but Starfire was completely different."

-?

"Yeah, a princess. But not like an earth princess. She had real duties and responsibilities that were beyond anything you can imagine."

-?

"Like, she was a political hostage. At a young age, she was given over to the Gordanians."

-?

"SO? That meant she was a SLAVE!"

-?

"Yeah, like in the 'old days'. The abuse, the torture, her life was a nightmare. She'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming at times, remembering the beatings. And worse."

-?

"Yeah, sexual. Believe me, rape is not just a human vileness."

-?

"She was a member of the house of Tamaran. That's how she stood it. And always, she looked for a means of escape."

-?

"She did escape. Just as the Gordanians were transporting her to another star system, they flew past earth and she was able to escape. Never did tell us how she did it. And then met Robin and the rest of us. It surprised the hell out of her that we were kind to her. As far as she was aware, the universe was an ugly, evil place."

-?

The white coated man stayed silent, considering. "I think it's because she was fundamentally one of the kindest, most decent people I've ever had the privilege to meet. Just like Gar."

-?

"You don't think so? Well, I've got news for you. Garfield Logan was the best man I've ever met in my entire life. He only wanted to help everyone. He wouldn't hurt anyone if it could be avoided. He wouldn't eat any flesh because it was killing something. He was always the last to attack, hoping it could be avoided. No, he was a fundamentally decent, humane, kind, loving human being."

-?

"Now there we get to the crux of the issue. Here we have two good, decent people, trapped in unhealthy, in one case, toxic, relationships. Who would they turn to? Gar wouldn't come to me, I was his buddy, not his confidant. He wouldn't go to Robin, who was his leader, his superior, he'd go to a friend. One with a ready ear who had been through situations as torturous as any he'd gone through."

-?

"Cheating? That depends on your viewpoint. If you look at it, Robin had abandoned her. Raven threw him through the wall! In essence, both had been dumped by their partners. I don't really believe they intended to 'cheat' on their partner. I suspect that Gar had gone to Starfire to cry on her shoulder having been rejected by Raven still again."

-?

He paused, considering. "I don't know if it had happened before. I'm not sure it really matters to be truthful. All I know is that two very hurt and lonely people came together seeking comfort. I don't believe that there was 'love' there. I believe they were looking for comfort after being rejected by their true loves." He let out a deep breath. "What a godawful mess it was. We were so young. We had no idea of what we were doing." The bald man fell into a deep silence.

-?

"What happened? Well, the three of us stood there for several moments, jaws on the ground, so to speak. I know for sure I was stunned beyond believe. To see the two of them there, in bed naked, was something I had NEVER thought of. I don't really know what Robin was thinking, but I can make a guess or two. A moment later I knew what Raven was thinking."

-?

"It was at that moment, every window, every electronic device in Titan's Tower exploded."

-?

"It had nothing to do with an attack. It was Raven's emotional control completely collapsing and her emotional energy overloading ANYTHING that couldn't handle the energy surge."

-?

"Can't really say. Was it jealousy? Was it betrayal? Was it guilt? There's no way to tell. All I DO know is that nothing could have stayed asleep in that ruckus."

-"

"Yes, they woke up."

-?

"Both shot up ready to fight. Small wonder, professional heroes being woken by a massive explosion, they're expecting an attack. What they didn't expect was to see was the three of us just staring at them."

-?

"Well, we continued to stare at each other for a minute or so. Then Beast Boy whispered 'Raven' in a scared, pleading tone. He sounded completely lost. That seemed to break the spell. Raven disappeared in one of her black energy portals. Beast Boy jumped out of bed and began running for her room shouting that he was sorry and would she please forgive him. He didn't even stop to get dressed."

-?

"Yeah, he was asking HER to forgive him. Not for the months of abuse, not for the putdowns or hits or throws, but for seeking comfort somewhere else. Almost a classic case of a lack of self-esteem."

-?

"Now the other two, that was different. They continued to stare at each other. Of the two, Starfire was the most at ease. She simply looked at Robin, challenging him. She was royalty. He had abandoned her. He looked at her, hurt, betrayed. Yet, it was Robin who made the first move." He paused. "You know, of all of us, it was always Robin who was the smartest, the first to put everything together. It was the same here. He simply said, 'I'm sorry'. But not in an accusatory tone. He was really sorry. He realized that his ignoring Starfire led to this. That it was his abandoning her that caused her to look elsewhere. Unlike Raven, he was really apologizing for everything he had done. And regretted."

-?

"Well, he turned and walked away. Back to his room."

-?

"Me? I admit I was still stunned. In the course of less than five minutes, I had seen my entire life turned upside down. Seen everything I had been a part of come crashing down. I really couldn't handle it. I continued to stare at Starfire. She finally turned to me and said, "I'm sorry."

-?

"Yeah, everyone was sorry that day. Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, I presume Raven, and me. We were all sorry for how the entire team had collapsed in such a short time."

-?

"I assume Raven was sorry, but I can't be sure. I never saw her again."

-?

"No, when I finally gathered my wits outside Starfire's room, I looked down and saw Beast Boy's clothes. He had run out of the room without a stitch on him. All I could think was that he needed his uniform. I picked it up and carried it to where I knew he'd be, Raven's room."

-?

"Yeah, he was there. He was lying on the bed, crying his heart out, begging for Raven to forgive him and come back."

-?

"Her room wasn't empty, not quite. But all of her personal things, her books, her mirror, her clothes were all gone."

-?

"I put Gar's uniform on the bed next to him and left. What else could I do?"

-?

"I went back to my room. I sat there in a stupor for a while, don't ask me how long. The tower was a wreck, Raven was gone and Beast Boy was a basket case. I didn't know what to do. Well, after thinking about it, I realized that the team was finished. I began to pack."

-?

"Oh, I wasn't the only one. Before I was halfway through, Robin appeared. He had already packed to leave. He stood in my doorway for a moment, silent, then he apologized to me for what had happened, saying that it was his fault."

-?

"Nope, like I said, he was the most responsible man I've ever met. He knew what happened and all of the factors that led to it. And he took responsibility. Then he told me he was leaving, that he couldn't stay, not after what he had done to Starfire. He was heading to Bludhaven. Then he left."

-?

"Actually, I have heard from him since. He's changed his name to Nightwing and still fights crime. Occasionally he'll give me a call, usually when he needs something. He's not one to reminisce about the past."

-?

"Starfire said her goodbyes a few hours later. She had flown to StarLabs to contact the Justice League. They contacted Tamaran, who sent a transport for her. Without either Robin or the Titans, she had no reason to stay on earth. She did a great deal of crying that last hour."

-?

He paused. "No, she didn't apologize. I think she knew that the situation had exploded beyond simple blame or fault. I waited with her for the last couple of hours for the ship to arrive. We didn't say much. There was nothing to say."

-?

"For a couple of years I occasionally got word from her, birthday greetings, that kind of thing. But as with most friends from your youth, you drift away. She became empress, had duties, fought wars, had kids. We stopped having things in common. Haven't heard from her in almost twenty years now."

-?

"Gar was different. After Starfire left I went back to Raven's room to see how he was doing. He was still there, hadn't moved. He'd fallen asleep. Hadn't even gotten dressed again. Looking at him, I realized there was nothing I could do at the moment. Night was falling and I had to make my own arrangements. I picked up my stuff and went to my father's place."

-?

"Well, I went back the next day. He was still moping around in Raven's room. He'd finally gotten dressed, but hadn't eaten. I brought him a pizza, hoping that would snap him out of it. It didn't."

-?

"No, no one would have found him. Didn't matter if anyone looked in the ruins of the tower, Beast Boy was a master of concealment, remember, he could change into any animal, including microscopic forms. If he didn't want you to find him, you couldn't."

-?

"Yeah, I came back periodically over the next few weeks, usually to bring him food. He was never very big, but he almost withered away from depression, no matter how much food I brought him. Didn't even bring him meat, just vegetables and tofu. Anything to get him to eat."

-?

"Well, after a couple of months, he just wasn't there anymore. I searched what was left of the tower, but found no trace of him. He probably finally wandered away."

-?

"Don't really know. I tried to keep a lookout for him over the months and years. Robin said he had heard of a green wolf in northern Canada. Another time, I got a report of a green lion in Africa. But both rumors were unconfirmed, so I can't be sure. Haven't heard anything more in years and years. Is he alive?" He took a deep breath, "I hope so. He deserved happiness after the pain he went through, but I can't be sure."

-?

"Yeah, that pretty much describes it. I went on with my life, got a couple of degrees, started working at a real job and gave up the superhero business. Got married, have two incredibly wonderful, irritating and obnoxious kids." He gave a chuckle. "Just like all kids."

-?

"No, I don't think a Titan's reunion is in the works. You are welcome to try to find them. I wish you luck."

-?

"No, I won't go. There's no point in resurrecting the painful past."

-?

"Yes, if it's really the last question."

-?

"Do I miss it?" He paused and considered. "Do you miss periods of your life? Do you miss your youth? When the entire world lay before you, with all its possibilities?" He sighed. "At times. As we all do. You see, when you're young, you think everything will last forever. As you get older, you realize, nothing lasts forever." With that, Victor Stone turned back to his microscope and resumed his work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**So what's the glory in living?**

**Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore?**

**And if love never lasts forever, tell me,**

**What's forever for?**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Admittedly, a bit shorter than most of my stories, but my time is far more limited now and this struck me as an interesting little concept. Hope you've enjoyed it even though it's sad and full of heartache. But then again, so is love. But then again, love is still the greatest of all things known to man and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

My thanks, as always to my reviewers. No one really had any questions, just wishes for a quick update. Nonetheless, I will always acknowledge anyone kind enough to write to me. My thanks to: ForceIsStrongWithThisOne; HotDog285; Bluesummer2012; CrazyNerd; CasaNova73099; Bordem kills; and Rotating Owl. My thanks to everyone for writing.

Until next time my friends.


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